The panel is expected to face skeptics from both political parties debating whether a new Space Force would improve the Pentagon’s space operations and better compete with Russia and China, The Hill reported.

The Space Force proposal has been raised in several House and Senate Armed Services committees, but this week’s hearing will be the first on the issue.

“A coherent space strategy is an integral part of our National Defense Strategy,” Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a statement. “I look forward to hearing from Pentagon leadership about what they see as the necessary capabilities of a space force, the costs and benefits associated with their solutions, and what our full range of options are.”